For most loose leaf teas, use about 2 to 3 g per 8 oz cup of water, which is about 237 ml. That's how much loose leaf tea per cup tea sellers like Teatulia and Plum Deluxe suggest, and it's a solid baseline before you adjust for taste.
| Water | Loose leaf tea |
|---|---|
| 8 oz (237 ml) | 2 to 3 g |
| 12 oz (355 ml) | 3 to 4.5 g |
| 16 oz (473 ml) | 4 to 6 g |
| 20 oz (591 ml) | 5 to 7.5 g |
| Iced: 8 oz hot water poured over ice | about 4 g |
Why teaspoons don't work well for tea
Tea leaves come in wildly different shapes and sizes. Teatulia's guide shows how much the spoon amount changes for the same 2 g dose in an 8 oz cup:
- Most whole leaf and herbal teas: about 1 tablespoon.
- Fine cut tea: about 1 teaspoon.
- Needle shaped sencha: a heaping tablespoon. Tightly rolled gunpowder green: a scant teaspoon.
- Bulky flowers like chamomile: a heaping tablespoon.
That's a threefold difference in volume for the same dose. A scale doesn't care what the leaf looks like. Two grams is two grams.
How much loose leaf tea per cup for each type
Teatulia uses the same 2 g per 8 oz for black, green, white, oolong and herbal teas. Other sellers nudge it by type:
- Black tea: start at the standard amount, and add a little for a bolder, more bitter cup.
- Green, white and oolong: the standard amount, but watch the water temperature. Plum Deluxe suggests about 170°F for green, 175°F for white and 180°F for oolong.
- Herbal tea: Plum Deluxe suggests adding an extra teaspoon, since flowers and herbs are bulky.
- Iced tea: double it. Teatulia steeps 4 g in 8 oz of hot water, then pours it over a big glass of ice.
Some sellers go lighter. Two Leaves and a Bud suggests 2 to 2.5 g for 12 to 16 oz of water. So treat 2 to 3 g per 8 oz as a starting point, not a rule.
The tasting standard is stronger
Professional tasters use a standard called ISO 3103, which calls for 2 g of tea per 100 ml of water. That works out to about 4.7 g per 8 oz, roughly double the home baseline. It's designed for comparing teas side by side, not for an everyday cup, so don't be surprised if it tastes intense.
How to weigh loose leaf tea
- Zero your scale or spoon.
- Add leaves until you reach about 2 g for an 8 oz cup.
- Steep, taste, and adjust by about 0.5 g next time.
- Keep notes for each tea you buy, since a fluffy white tea and a rolled oolong look nothing alike at the same weight.
Tea doses are small, so precision helps. A MeasureMate digital measuring spoon scoops and weighs in one step and reads in 0.1 g steps, which makes a 2.5 g dose easy to hit. The removable spoon head is handy for brushing out stray leaf bits between teas.
Quick questions
How many teaspoons of loose leaf tea per cup?
Plum Deluxe suggests 1 to 2 teaspoons per 8 oz. Bulky leaves and flowers need more by volume, so weighing is more reliable.
How much loose tea for a teapot?
Teatulia uses up to 6 g, or about 3 tablespoons, for a 3 cup teapot.
Should I use more tea for iced tea?
Yes. Teatulia doubles the dose to 4 g per 8 oz of hot water, since the ice thins it out as it melts.
Ratios based on Teatulia, Plum Deluxe, Two Leaves and a Bud, and the ISO 3103 tea tasting standard.